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Home > Treatment > Drug Dosing Toolkit > Trizivir

Trizivir (AZT + Epivir + Ziagen)

Type of Drug: Fixed-Dose Combination

Fixed-dose combinations combine the most commonly prescribed doses of several medications into 1 pill. This pill is a combination of drugs known as nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, also called NRTIs, nucleoside analogues, or "nukes." These were the first type of drug available to treat HIV.

When the HIV virus enters a healthy cell, it attempts to make copies of itself. It does this by using an enzyme called reverse transcriptase. NRTIs block that enzyme, so HIV cannot make new copies of itself.

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Approved adult dosing

AZT 300 mg + Epivir 150 mg + Ziagen 300 mg in a single tablet

one tablet, two times a day

  • Morning

    Trizivir

    Trizivir

  • Evening

    Trizivir

    Trizivir

Notes on taking this medication

  • No food restrictions, can take with or without food
  • Do not take Trizivir with Zerit
  • Before taking Trizivir, you should be tested to see if you are at risk of an allergic reaction to the Ziagen component. The test is a blood test for a genetic marker called HLA B5701. If you are positive for HLA B5701, or have a history of allergy to abacavir (Ziagen, Epzicom) you cannot take Trizivir.
  • Persons with kidney problems may need an adjustment to their doses of the component drugs, and have to take them separately, not as one pill

Same side effects as

AZT

  • Nausea; stomach discomfort; headache
  • Symptoms of anemia (low red blood cell count): fatigue; shortness of breath
  • More rarely: muscle wasting; neutropenia (low white blood cell count)
  • Changes in body-fat distribution

Epivir

  • Side effects are rare but include headaches and general sense of feeling ill
  • Epivir is active against hepatitis B, and stopping it can cause "flare-up" of hepatitis B

Ziagen

  • Mild nausea; vomiting; diarrhea; loss of appetite
  • Rash

See accompanying chart: Tips for Common Side Effects

My doctor's instructions

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Contents
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